The Complete Short Stories of A. A. Milne by A. A. Milne - Introduction by Gyles Brandreth #bookreview #blogtour

 

The publication of this complete collection of his short stories would have given A. A. Milne so much pleasure.

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A new collection of A. A. Milne’s short stories and sketches for grown-ups. Collected in full for the first time, they are an epiphany, and show Milne’s renowned charm, concision and whimsical flair in all their brilliance.

He paints memorable scenes, from a children’s birthday party, to an accidental encounter with murder, and a case of blackmail – often with an unexpected twist. But he also deals in poignancy, from the girl who pulls the wool over her boyfriend’s eyes, to a first dance and first disappointment or family reunion and domestic dissonance.

Beguiling and evocative, Milne’s thought-provoking stories will make you see his works for children in a whole new light.

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What a varied and delightful collection of short stories, some of which are being published for the first time.

Whilst A. A. Milne is most famous for his Winnie the Pooh stories, this collection demonstrates that he was an accomplished writer of stories for adults too. All of the stories in this collection are very different. Printed in chronological order there is an element of the development of the author with each story.

Having been written from 1914 - 1953, plus a few undated fragments of stories, there is a wonderfully traditional feel to them. They are very much tales of their time.

Throughout the stories the reader meets some interesting characters. Coupled with their individual stories, I was delighted to make their acquaintance. I particularly enjoyed the story, A Rattling Good Yarn. I also enjoyed The Secret and C.O.D. There was sufficient in each story to get my teeth into, although at times I would have liked the story to be developed further but alas, such is the nature of the short story.

With an introduction by Gyles Brandreth, this is a book well worth seeking out. It would be a wonderful book to dip in an out of from time to time, and I can see myself coming back to it time and time again.

ISBN: 978 1788424493

Publisher:  Farrago

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  448 (paperback)

About the Author:

A. A. Milne (Alan Alexander) is best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh. Prior to the First World War he worked as a young man as Assistant Editor of Punch magazine. After leaving the army, he began to write plays, short stories and novels; and then later works for children, including the poetry collection When We Were Very Young and the storybook Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926. Milne continued to be a prolific writer until his death in 1956.

(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)